Deceivingly Simple or Simple Deception
by Go Outside
Summary: A seemingly simple incident sets into motion a chain of events that sees the RED crew banding together once again to save one of their own. Two spies are captured trying to break into the Kremlin and the Ambassador of the Russian Federation disappears under strange circumstances. Are the two events related or simply coincidence?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of any of the characters from the R.E.D. or its sequel. 

The offices of the Russian Ambassador in Washington. D.C. could never truly be considered quiet but the scene it currently presented was the furthest thing from it. At shortly after 7 pm, Moscow time, two men (originally thought to have been spies) had been captured trying to break into a secure records room in the Kremlin. Both men had been quickly and easily identified as Americans and the C.I.A. had just as quickly disavowed all knowledge of the two men and their alleged activities. That had not been an unexpected reaction on the agency's part in any case as something about the captured men's actions seemed strikingly unprofessional. It had raised the alarm bells for Russian Ambassador, Ivan Simanov, to the point where he was inclined to believe the C.I.A.

His office was a flurry of activity during what would have usually been their lunch hour. People were running in and out, delivering and retrieving reports, and carrying on rapid conversations in their native tongue in nearly every corner of the ambassador's normally spacious and grand office. The ambassador himself stepped back from his cluttered desk, having just replaced the phone's receiver in the cradle, and took in the organized chaos that surrounded him. As busy as the office appeared at that moment Ivan's previous experience in such matters told him the situation, as it was currently understood, would cool off come evening which would thankfully allow him to keep his dinner engagement with his fiancé, Victoria Winslow. As if she knew he was thinking of her Ivan felt his cell phone ring in his pants pocket. He pulled it out and a smile slid across his face as he saw her name light up the screen. Taking a furtive glance about the room Ivan ascertained that he would not be missed for a moment and he slipped through the sliding glass door onto his private balcony.

The noise of the street was a welcome change from the buzz of the animated conversation that was currently taking place in his office. He took a cleansing breath and answered her call, the very thought of her immediately relaxing him.

"Zaychik moy." He exhaled.

"Oh Ivan!" She seemed surprised that he had answered. "I had heard the news and thought you would have been far too busy to answer your phone."

"I am never too busy for you."

Victoria laughed. He could tell from the sound of her voice she had the phone cradled between her shoulder and cheek which meant she was in the kitchen either baking or cooking, either of which he would benefit from that evening.

"Well I had thought to leave you a message excusing you from our engagement this evening."

"Not necessary, my love." Ivan replied as he leaned on the balcony's concrete railing and looked out at the traffic below. "I do not think this will require me to work outside of regular business hours."

"That is good news."

Ivan could hear the smile in her voice and wished the day had already finished so he could hold her in his arms. His mind began to wander, as men's minds tend to do, but was brought back to the present by Victoria's voice.

"Whatever it is you're dreaming about will be waiting impatiently for you upon your arrival."

"Dorogaya moya, you know me better than I know myself." Ivan's deep voice rumbled with laughter.

A tap on the glass door behind him drew Ivan's attention back to the task at hand.

"Ah, lyubov moya, I must go. I will see you, all of you, this evening."

"You're incorrigible!" Victoria sighed. "Take care of yourself, Mr. Ambassador. I don't want to have to come looking for you."

Ivan smirked. "Don't tempt me."

They said their goodbyes and Ivan opened the door, the chatter had not diminished in his absence, and one of his aids passed him a memo the moment he crossed the threshold.

"Director Cooper will be able to meet with you at one-thirty." The young man said.

"That should work." Ivan said as he went to his desk and called his secretary. "Yes, Yana, please bring me an updated schedule for today. I will be meeting with Director Cooper at one-thirty for about an hour before I meet with Leonid at three."

"Yes Ambassador." The woman replied. 

* * *

Yana, an attractive woman in her early thirties, hurriedly made the addition to the Ambassador's schedule and printed off a fresh copy before gathering the large stack of other requested items and headed towards his office with haste. As she sped down the hallway her phone buzzed in her hand and she stole a quick glance down to see who was calling. As a result she did not see the man with whom she collided and the papers, once stacked high in her arms, went flying in all directions. Yana looked up from the mess to see a handsome bike messenger with an extremely apologetic countenance.

"Oh, I am so sorry! Let me help you." He said as they both knelt down to retrieve the loose papers that lay scattered across the floor.

"It was my fault." Yana said, tucking a loose strand of her strawberry blond hair behind her ear. "I was looking at my phone to see who was calling." She paused as she did so again. Her phone had ceased ringing and she saw with frustration that the caller I.D. had been blocked. "Of course it was a wrong number. Typical."

The man laughed as he gather some papers, he held up his phone to show her. "I'm guilty too." He kept the phone in his hand as he neatly stacked the pile of paper together and handed them to Yana. "I am sorry."

"Me too." Yana replied. "And thank you." She called over her shoulder as she redoubled her pace and sped down the hall.

As he watched her disappear the man's face fell into a more serious repose. "No," he said in a voice low enough that no one else would hear him. "Thank you." 

* * *

Yana swiftly and silently slipped through the crowded room to where Ivan was working at his desk, signing orders and directing various aids and other embassy officials.

"Here is your schedule, sir." She said as he finished with the last of the people who had been swarming about his desk.

"Wonderful, thank you Yana." Ivan smiled. "Can you please have a bouquet of flowers sent to-"

"Oh yes, sir" Yana interrupted, gently nodding towards the aid who had quietly approached.

Ivan looked over and waved the man off. "Give us a moment, Pietro."

The man nodded and turned away.

"Thank you, Yana. This is a bit of a mad house today."

"So you will still be able to make your evening meeting?" the woman asked with a raised eyebrow.

Ivan flashed a crooked grin, his eyes twinkling. "Yes. I do not think this will require late hours. It does not appear to present a threat to our relations with the Americans or our national security. Some ill prepared fools with too much time and money on their hands trying to usher back the cold war." Ivan rolled his eyes.

"Well, I am sure you're 'friend' will be pleased." Yana winked before leaving to deliver the remaining pile of papers to various people about the room.

Yana was one of two people at the embassy who knew of Ivan's relationship with Victoria. The other was Mikhail, his driver. He trusted both implicitly. Ivan sighed as he saw Pietro shuffling nervously back towards him and beckoned him over with one hand while massaging the bridge of his nose with the other. 

* * *

Several blocks away the bike messenger who had run into Yana was turning out of a back alley and into the open door of an old car garage. The bay door closed slowly behind him as he leant his bike against the oil stained wall, carelessly tossed his helmet aside and ran a hand through his shoulder length brown hair. He set off in a jog down the short hall that led off of the back of the garage bay, bike shoes clicking on the concrete as he did, stopping only once he'd reached the open office door at the far end. The room had no windows and housed three desks laden with computer monitors and various other electronics. It was around one of said monitors that several men were currently congregated.

"Did you get the video?" The bike messenger asked as he approached the group.

"Yah. Great work Alan." The man sitting in front of the monitor congratulated.

Alan peered past the other men's heads and saw the video he had sent from the embassy on the screen. It was frozen on a shot of Ambassador Simanov's schedule for the day.

"This is perfect, Rick." A man with a shaved head and bearded face praised.

Rick, a man with wide shoulders, a broad nose and dark, closely shorn hair nodded. "Everything has fallen into place perfectly." Rick agreed. He swiveled in his chair to face the other four men. "We don't have a lot of time but we're ready. Steve and I have patched into the city's CCTV feed so we will be able to time this precisely. And it will have to be precise, we have next to no margin of error on this." He directed their attention to the monitors on the adjacent desk that were currently showing the feeds from the city's traffic cameras. "Alan will be here, at the base, Steve on the sidewalk here," he pointed near a bus stop on one of the monitors "Russell, in the truck here, and Jay and I will be waiting here with the bus." He clapped his hands together. "Alright boys, go make all the final preparations. We've only got couple hours and one shot at this."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of any of the characters from the R.E.D. or its sequel.

By the time one o'clock had rolled around Ivan had banished everyone from his office and was now basking in the silence as he tried to quickly eat his lunch and finish preparing some notes for his meeting with Director Cooper at Langley. The phone on his desk buzzed and Ivan hit the speaker button.

"Ya?"

"Mikhail has the car out front for you whenever you are ready." Yana informed him. It was her polite way of making sure he would not be late.

"Thank you, Yana. Please tell him I will be down in five minutes."

"Very good, sir."

Ivan popped the last grape into his mouth before wiping his moustache with a napkin and dusted a few stray crumbs from his shirt front and tie. He stood and pulled on his dark grey suit jacket, tucked a portfolio and a few papers in his briefcase and left his office. As he passed Yana's desk down the hall he inquired as to whether she had arranged for the flowers to be sent and, upon confirmation, rapped the desk with his knuckles and winked.

"Thank you, my dear."

"My pleasure, Ambassador."

* * *

Minutes later Ivan stepped out of the elevator and passed through the lobby doors as he made his way to where Mikhail was waiting next to the car in a tidy black suit.

"Good afternoon, Mikhail." He greeted.

"Good afternoon, sir. Traffic is moving well. We should be there just in time." Mikhail informed as he held the door for Ivan.

"Bah, I never worry about that with you." Ivan replied. "Besides, this is really just an informal meeting. A few minutes here or there will not matter."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, true to his word, Mikhail had the Ambassador sitting in the office of Director Cooper. The two men, having exchanged brief pleasantries, got straight down to business. Ivan passed a dossier across the desk to Cooper.

"This is all the information we have obtained from the two men."

Cooper nodded as he looked up the names on his computer.

"Okay, only one has ever been flagged in our system. Gregory Hanes from Oregon. Tech specialist on our watch list for minor hacking activities but no crimes of any serious nature. The other, Charles Burke, is from the same small town and looks to be a partner in Hanes small tech business."

Ivan nodded. "Strange they would attempt to break into records room at Kremlin. Did any of their hacking activity seem targeted towards Russia or its interests?"

Cooper tapped away at his keyboard momentarily before shaking his head. "Not that I can tell but I will send a couple of agents to check their computers and see what turns up. It could take some time to find any information as it will be undoubtedly encrypted and they do seem mildly proficient with computers. Neither of these men have any formal military training or obvious interests or affiliations that would even begin to explain their actions."

Ivan leaned back in his chair and rested his chin on his hand. "At the moment it would appear that they acted alone. They have not given up any useful information to our interviewers. Will your people be pushing for their immediate return?"

Cooper leaned back as well, unconsciously mirroring the Ambassador's body language. "I don't think so. Seems a crime was committed and your people should deal with it as they see fit." He looked at the folder in front of him once more. "Though from a pure curiosity standpoint we would be willing to work with you to determine just what these men thought they were doing and why on earth they thought they could get away with it."

"Looks as though we are on same page then, Director Cooper." Ivan stood as Cooper gathered the papers together and passed them back over.

Cooper quickly printed off the information he had on the two men and dropped it into the folder the Russian held open for him.

"You have my number?" Ivan asked.

"I do. Your lovely fiancé gave it to me the last time we ran into one another. Congratulations by the way." Cooper said, extending his hand to the other man. "I understand it's been a long time coming."

Ivan shook Cooper's hand and grinned. "Too long."

"Stay in touch." Cooper called as Ivan exited his office.

* * *

Mikhail had the car waiting when Ivan emerged from the building, door open.

"Heading back to the embassy?"

"Yes. I have a few things to wrap up, a quick meeting with Leonid and then we can head to the Eagle's Nest." Ivan answered as he slid into the back seat.

* * *

Rick and Jay leaned against the back bumper of their vehicle, nonchalantly eating jumbo hotdogs from a nearby food cart. They looked, to all the world, like two EMT's on their lunch break as they stared out, seemingly bored, at the intersection in front of them. From where he stood Rick could see Steve, standing at the bus stop kitty-corner to them reading a newspaper, and Russell who was coming out of a coffee shop across the street with his purchases; a large cookie and a water bottle. The items were tossed carelessly onto the seat as he climbed back into the driver's side of his pickup.

"Hey," Alan's voice crackled in the earbuds they all wore. Rick saw Steve and Jay reach for their ears simultaneously and knocked Jay's hand away as he did the same.

"Two minute warning." Alan continued. "Be ready, the lights will work as planned."

"This is it." Rick spoke, the excitement in his voice easily picked up by the mic hidden in his collar. "Stay calm. We've got this." He watched as Russell's hands clenched and unclenched around the steering wheel of his pickup. "We've got this."

* * *

Ivan was going through the information Cooper had given him, trying to make sense of the seemingly senseless.

'This may be one of those instances chalked purely up to idiocy and nothing more.' Ivan thought to himself. There was no prior behaviour and no real motivations or goals that were immediately apparent. Once again the Russian cursed the internet. Firstly for its propensity to facilitate the exchange of ideas amongst fools the world over and secondly for the emboldening said fools to act on their imprudent impulses.

With a sigh Ivan removed his reading glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose before stuffing the papers, with notes now scrawled across the borders, back into his briefcase. As he straightened up in his seat a loud nose caught his attention. He looked out the window to his right just in time to see the grill of a truck a split second before it violently collided with his car.

The force the impact threw Ivan up against the now crushed in side of the vehicle as the window exploded inward. The pain was sharp and instantaneous. The air was forced from his lungs one moment and the next he found himself tumbling up and over as the car flipped completely before landing on its roof. Metal screeched as it slid across the rough pavement.

When the car finally stopped moving Ivan lay face down on the roof. The violence and noise of the crash was replaced by a loud ringing that filled his ears and a pain that lanced through his skull and torso. He tried to move but found his dazed mind incapable of commanding his battered frame. His eyes continually slid closed even as he fought to keep them open. He could feel blood running down his face and gently pooling around the shattered glass beneath his cheek. He groaned as he made another attempt at any sort of movement but failed once again.

Ivan felt, more than heard, the door of the car wrenched open as two hazy figures stepped into the wreak that was once his pristine GAZ-M14 'Chaika' limousine. He registered voices but could not distinguish the words for the ringing and pain in his head. He felt hands slip beneath his shoulders and a wave of dizziness wash over him as he was rolled onto a backboard. Ivan tried to speak as a man's blurry face appeared above his own but the man shook his head as if to say he did not understand. Ivan belatedly realized he was speaking in Russian, his injured mind unable to translate his words into English, so he gave up. The man's face disappeared from his field of vision and he could feel straps tightening about his chest, waist and legs. He tried to move away as a strap tightened on his injured side when a man's face reappeared and placed a mask over Ivan's nose and mouth.

The sweet plastic-like smell of the gas being pumped through the mask filled Ivan's nostrils and his head swam in response. If his thought process had been laboured before it now became more and more impossible with each passing breath. He felt someone take hold of his hand and the telltale prick of a needle being inserted for an I.V. It was followed by the pressure of a needle being inserted into the I.V. port and a rush of 'burning' liquid was injected before he blacked out.

* * *

Jay removed the needle from the I.V. port he had placed in the Russian's left hand. "He's out."

Rick nodded and waited as Jay strapped the neck brace and head restraints into place. Once he had finished they slid/carried the backboard out of the car and placed it onto a waiting stretcher. A small crowd had gathered and sirens in the distance alerted them to the arrival of the real emergency services.

"You've got company coming." Alan informed them over their earbuds.

Russell stood by the back of the ambulance nursing a wounded arm while Steve and another passerby helped the limo driver to sit on a nearby curb as he was clearly dazed.

Rick could hear the conversation of those around the scene.

"The lights went green in all directions."

"It's a terrible accident but no one's at fault."

"Somebody's going to get a huge payday from the city though."

Jay overheard the last comment as well and smirked at Rick as they loaded the stretcher and Russell into the back of the ambulance. As Rick shut the doors a woman call out to him.

"What about the other driver?"

"No room. I have to get this man to the hospital. Another bus is on the way." He explained as he climbed into the driver's seat and took off, the sirens silent but lights flashing as they cut through the increased traffic caused by the accident with ease.

* * *

Steve had stayed behind with Mikhail until a large enough crowd had gathered that he could slip away with anonymity. He was a block away when the first of the actually emergency responders drove past. Checking to ensure no one was looking, he turned down an alley and pulled a motorcycle out from behind some trash cans, climbed on and kicked it to life. He pulled out the opposite end of the alley and merged seamlessly into the now congested traffic, heading to the rendezvous point.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of any of the characters from the R.E.D. or its sequel.

In the ambulance the mood was celebratory.

"Well done boys!" Rick exclaimed. "You're not actually hurt are you, Russ?" He asked looking back over his shoulder to where the other men rode in the back with the unconscious Ambassador.

"Nah." He answered easily. "I didn't realize it would flip the car though."

"Made our job easier actually." Jay added as he checked on their 'patient'. "He is a bit more banged up than we expected, must not have been wearing his seatbelt."

"Anything we should be concerned about?" Rick asked.

"We'll have to keep an eye on his head but nothing some pain killers and stitches won't fix." Jay answered as he pulled apart a tear in Ivan's shirt to get a better view of the gash adorning his ribcage. He grabbed some gauze pads and pressed them against the cut to slow the bleeding. Stitches would need to wait for the time being.

"I couldn't tell because of the tinted windows but I just hammered the door he was sitting next to. I swear I could see his head touch my grill as the glass shattered." Russell told the others. "That's why I hit my brakes so hard which then made it flip."

"You're all clear. No tail." Alan informed the rest of his team from where he sat observing their escape on the CCTV feed.

"Perfect." Rick acknowledged as he made the final turn before turning into the garage just as Steve pulled in having arrived from the opposite direction. He had made great time thanks to the ability of the motorcycle to weave in and out of the near gridlock traffic around the scene. Even as the large bay door creaked closed the men had already jumped out of the bus and begun peeling all of the decals and removing the lights and reflectors that identified the bus as an ambulance. The plates were then switched out and new decals and lights applied to convert the formerly white ambulance into a non-descript hydro truck. Once the transformation was complete all five men climbed into the truck.

"He's a looking a little worse for wear." Alan remarked as he sat on the bench in the back of the truck, the only part of the vehicle that still resembled an ambulance.

"He'll be fine." Jay replied unconcernedly, taking a moment to throw the Ambassador's cell phone under the wheels as the truck backed out of the garage, one last time, and began its drive out of D.C.

* * *

When the police finally arrived at the crash scene Mikhail had recovered sufficiently enough to be extremely concerned for his boss. The officer that had arrived first to the scene noticed the embassy plates and the shaken chauffeur.

"Were you driving, sir?" the officer asked Mikhail.

Mikhail nodded, coming to stand nearer the officer and the upside down limo.

"Are you okay? Have you been checked out?"

"I am fine, but he was in the back an-"

"Someone else was in there?" The officer interrupted, gesturing to the damaged rear of the vehicle. "Did an ambulance already leave here?" He asked the fire crew that was busy cleaning up the leaking gas and oil from the damaged vehicles.

"No. We were first on scene." One of the firemen responded.

"Where's the other driver?"

"He was taken with the other gentleman in the ambulance." A woman from the crowd informed the officer. "They had been at that hotdog stand having lunch when the accident happened."

"Yah." A man added. "All the lights went green at once, the truck hit the limo and just flew into the air."

The officer left Mikhail standing by the car and ran over to the EMTs. "These people are saying there was another ambulance here that took the injured passenger and truck driver away."

"Not possible. This is our sector." The EMT retorted. "Is that an embassy car?"

The officer realized he didn't know who was actually in the car and called over to Mikhail. "Who were you driving?"

"Ivan Simanov. The Russian Ambassador."

At those words the officer felt his stomach drop. "Oh shit."

* * *

Victoria hummed to herself as she pulled a cake from the oven and set it to cool on a nearby rack. The delicious smell of warm vanilla mingled with the savory scent of the chicken, asparagus and potatoes she had prepared for dinner. She checked the clock and saw that it was nearing six o'clock. She grabbed her phone, dialing Ivan's number with one hand, she turned on the small kitchen television to catch the beginning of the nightly news with the other.

The phone rang once before going to his voicemail. Playing with the beautiful bouquet Ivan had sent her she waited for the beep before beginning to speak.

"Hello darling, I was just calling because it's very nearly six and I haven't heard from you. Thought you'd be here by now." She turned from the flowers and looked up at the TV as the news began. "Hope you haven't got caught up in any …"

The words dies on her lips as the night's top story caught her attention. The headline scrolled across the screen: 'Russian Embassy Official Injured in Car Crash'.

Victoria instantly recognized Ivan's formerly immaculate car, even upside down, and let the phone drop from her hand to the counter.

"…the official and the driver of the truck were taken to hospital. No information on their condition is available to us at this time. Witnesses say a malfunction caused all of the intersections lights to turn green at the time of the accident. Authorities are investigating the cause of the glitch. The driver of the embassy car was treated for whiplash at the scene and released."

The newscaster continued seamlessly on to the next story but all of Victoria's attention was still firmly focused on the last. A brief moment passed as she processed the shocking information then Victoria picked up her phone and called the one person who would be able to fill her in.

"Hello? Yana?" Victoria was surprised by how shaky her own voice sounded.

"Oh Victoria!" Yana's voice was a low whisper. Victoria could hear a cacophony of voices that quickly faded and then vanished with the soft click of a door being closed. "I wanted to call but I haven't been able to get away."

"How is Ivan?"

There was silence on the other end of the line.

"Yana?" Victoria's heart began to race.

"They don't know where he is."

"What? What do you mean?" Victoria asked incredulously, gripping the counter so tightly that her finely polished nails threatened to chip.

"There was an ambulance on the scene. He was taken away in it but it was not an actually ambulance. They have checked all the hospitals but have been unable to find him."

Victoria's mind was reeling and she found herself leaning heavily on the granite countertop.

"Victoria? Victoria, I am so sorry." Yana sounded close to tears.

Victoria shook her head. Yana was a sweet young girl whom Ivan had come to think of as a daughter over the years. "Thank you, Yana. Please keep me informed as you can." Victoria said and then hung up abruptly. She wiped a lone tear from her eye and took a deep, steadying breath. "Now is the time for action, not tears." She told herself.

Picking her phone back up Victoria dialed a number from memory and prayed it would be answered.

"Hello?" A man spoke as the call was connected.

"Frank, its Victoria."

"What's wrong?" Frank asked having picked up on the edge in her voice.

"Ivan's been taken."

"What happened?" Frank didn't waste time on meaningless platitudes.

Victoria quickly laid out all she knew as Frank listened without interruption.

"We should contact Cooper." Frank said once she had finished. "He'll be able to fill us in on what's going on."

"Will you contact Marvin? I fear we may need his expertise."

"Of course. Call me back once you've spoken to Cooper. Do you have his number?"

"Yes. He gave it to me after that Dunning affair." She replied. "Thank you, Frank."

"Anything you need Vicky, I'm here."

* * *

"Who was that?"

Frank turned to face Sarah, his face serious. "Victoria. It looks like Ivan may have been kidnapped."

"Are we going to help?" Sarah asked, concern etched on her features.

"Ya. I'm gonna call Marvin. Victoria's calling Cooper to see what he knows." Frank answered as he walked over to his laptop and called Marvin using a secure, VPN protected server. Marvin answered, his voice scrambled. "How soon can you be at the Eagle's Nest? We have a friend that needs help."

"Half-an-hour." The scrambled voice replied.

"See you there." Frank hung up and walked back to the bedroom to pack his bag only to find Sarah had already begun.

He leaned on the doorframe to their bedroom. "Thanks, Babe."

"Time is of the essence I assume."

"You got it." He smiled as he readied several weapons and waited for Victoria's call.

* * *

At the Eagle's Nest Victoria was calling William Cooper.

"Cooper."

"Director Cooper, this is Victoria Winslow. I believe you know why I am calling."

"Ms. Winslow. I am sorry I haven't called, I've been extremely busy." Cooper apologized.

"Do you have any idea where he is? If he is okay?" Victoria was losing the cool detachment she had cultivated over her lifetime.

"From the CCTV footage it looks as though this was all planned. He was targeted, incapacitated and taken quickly from the scene in broad daylight."

"Was he hurt badly?"

"Witnesses and footage had him unconscious on a stretcher but that doesn't mean much of anything. We are trying to track the ambulance but have lost it at a series of blacked out cameras."

"Did they check the location where the vehicle was lost? Is there a building where they are hiding out or have changed vehicles?" Victoria asked, her mind grasping for answers and possibilities.

"We have a ground team heading there now. There is a building that may be of interest."

"I contacted Frank, and he Marvin. We would like to be read in."

"Can I send a helicopter for you? It will be a thirty minute trip instead of an hour and a half one." Cooper offered.

"Yes, thank you. I will be ready in thirty."

"See you soon, and I will keep you abreast of any new developments." He promised solemnly.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of any of the characters from the R.E.D. or its sequel.

Four hours had passed since they had executed their plan and Rick, Alan, Russell, Jay and Steve, along with their hostage, were far from D.C. They had arrived at their safe house and were in the process of stowing away the hydro truck and transferring the Ambassador to the cabin. They had driven west to a secluded spot near a national park. Few neighbours, a hilltop forested position, a large well lit yard that spread out for at least twenty yards in all directions, separate garage for the truck and a large wood cabin with thick walls, large windows offering unobstructed views of their surroundings.

Ivan had been keep sedated for the duration of the trip but the gas mask had been long since removed. The last part of the journey had been on an unforgivably bumpy dirt road but he had blessedly felt none of it. They wheeled the stretcher from the garage to the house and then into one of the two small bedrooms. Jay and Steve then lifted Ivan, still strapped to the orange backboard, and placed him onto a bed.

"Do you want to clean and stitch him up now?" Rick asked Jay as he and Steve folded up the stretcher and stored it away under the bed.

"I think that would be best. Are you going to contact the embassy soon?"

"No. That can wait til the morning. I don't want to give them a search radius based on the timing of the call." Rick answered.

"Smart boss." Jay said as he opened a well-stocked, multi-tiered medical kit.

"Will you need help with this or are you good?" Rick asked as he turned to leave the room.

"Nah, I'm good." Jay waved off the offer of help as he began removing the head restraints, leaving only the neck brace, so he could clean the blood from the wounds on Ivan's face.

Over the course of the next forty-five minutes Jay stitched closed a cut above Ivan's right eyebrow and one on his cheek bone before moving onto the large gash that ran across his ribs. When he was finished with the stitches Jay ran his hands over the incapacitated man to assure himself that the man had no broken bones or other serious injuries. Besides some mild swelling, and not so mild bruising, everything seemed in order. Jay then checked Ivan's pulse and pupil response and, finding both within reasonable parameters considering the circumstances, Jay packed up his equipment, shut off the lights and closed the door as he exited the room intent on heading to the kitchen to find something to eat.

* * *

At the same time as Jay was searching for his dinner Victoria, Frank, Sarah and Marvin were disembarking from the helicopter Cooper had sent to retrieve them from the Eagle's Nest.

"See? I told you it would be fine, Marvin." Frank said as he helped Sarah from the chopper.

Marvin grumbled in response as he climbed, somewhat stiff legged from the machine.

Victoria quickly crossed to where C.I.A. Director Cooper was waiting for them with an SUV. Frank and Marvin loaded their gear into the back of the black Yukon as the ladies climbed into the vehicle. Victoria took the passenger seat next to Cooper and Sarah took the centre back seat, soon to be sandwiched between Frank and Marvin.

"My team has found the staging area. I'll take you over there right now. It was located just within the area of the blacked out cameras." Cooper said as he made good use of his SUV's in-grill emergency lights to part the traffic and get the group to the scene as quickly as possible.

"So they have some skill but limited foresight." Marvin observed. "That could play in our favour …" He waited a beat before continuing. "Or not." Marvin was never one to be overly positive.

"It does mean they may have overlooked something else that could lead us to Ivan." Sarah added hopefully.

Frank smiled at her and rubbed her arm affectionately. The woman's eternal optimism when it came to their line of work was endearing and hopefully not misplaced.

As the SUV rounded a corner, the location they were headed to became readily apparent. An old garage came into view, slightly run down, and perfectly unremarkable aside from the fact it was presently surrounded by black SUVs and hustling C.I.A. personnel. A man standing near the perimeter of the scene pulled back the yellow tape and allowed Cooper to drive right up to the building. Cooper put the vehicle in park and switched off the engine.

"I am not going in there with all those people." Marvin, having put the emphasis on the word 'those', fiddled nervously with the handgun in his lap.

"For heaven's sake, Marvin, put that away." Victoria sighed in exasperation, even as Frank was reaching to remove it from the man's grasp.

"Give me five minutes and I'll give you a private viewing." Cooper told the man as he opened the door and immediately took charge of the scene.

The SUV's remaining occupants watched with mild interest as Cooper cleared the scene and sent his staff on an enforced thirty minute break. After a few minutes the last person had left the building, leaving only those guarding the perimeter of the scene. The director then waved at the SUV, inviting the four to join him in the garage.

As they entered the open garage bay door it became evident that the men they were after were no longer using an ambulance as cover. Strewn carelessly across the formerly polished cement floor were various ambulance decals and a light bar.

"So they kept the same vehicle but changed the cover." Marvin surmised easily.

"I already have people scanning the CCTV footage looking for any trucks that fit that basic description. We should have a direction of travel soon." Cooper informed as he pushed the light bar with his foot.

"Any contact from the kidnappers yet?" Frank asked as he crouched down to search for a clue as to what new cover the men may currently be using.

"No. Nothing. I had met with the Ambassador right before the accident to discuss the capture of two Americans caught trying to break into a secure records room at the Kremlin. Neither of us had any possible motives or criminal affiliations but now, with what has happened, I am having a difficult time believing it's a coincidence." Cooper said.

Victoria was silent as she processed the new information and attempted to, somehow, piece it all together. Ivan had told her on the phone that he had not been concerned about the matter, and clearly this was the matter he meant.

"Could we trace his cell phone?" Sarah asked Cooper as she let her gaze sweep over the space, unsure of what to be looking for.

Cooper crossed over to a table in the corner in lieu of answering. He picked up a clear evidence bag with the remains of a crushed phone rattling inside.

"Oh." Sarah sighed. "Guess not."

"I've got something."

Frank, Cooper, Sarah and Victoria's heads all snapped round to look in the direction Marvin's voice had come from. They headed down a narrow hallway until they arrived at a room, lit brightly by the glow of nearly a dozen computer monitors. Marvin waved them over to the monitor he was sitting in front of impatiently.

"Take a look at this." He played the video he had found for them.

The group watched in silence for a moment before Sarah blurted out. "What exactly are we looking at? Someone shuffling papers? Is that Russian?"

Marvin paused the video with a click of the mouse and zoomed in on the image.

"That's his schedule!" Victoria exclaimed.

"That's how they knew when to plan the accident." Frank stated.

Victoria turned and walked out of the room as Frank, Marvin and Cooper searched through the various computers and found footage from various cameras and played them on the various monitors as Sarah watched. Once alone in the hall she pulled out her cell phone and punched in a number. Her call was answered on the second ring.

"Yana? It's Victoria. I need you to tell me if at any point someone other than you or Ivan had access to his schedule?"

"They were wearing fingerless gloves, like a bike messenger." Sarah said, appearing in the doorway and locking eyes with Victoria.

Yana appeared to have heard Sarah as she let out a sudden noise of realization. "There was a bike messenger. We collided in the hallway and he helped me pick up my papers. He did have his phone out, he said he hadn't seen me because he'd been texting."

"Thank you, Yana. Has anyone contacted the embassy about Ivan?"

"No. I will call as soon as they do." Yana said. "I am so sorry."

"None of this is your fault, Yana. I have to go, we will speak later."

As Victoria hung up she looked to Sarah. "Thank you. The collision with the bike messenger may have, on such a busy day, passed unremarked had you not noticed his gloves."

Sarah smiled meekly and looked down at the floor. "Glad I could help."

A printer in the corner of the room hummed to life and began printing pixelated photos of men's faces.

"Who are they?" Victoria asked as she picked up the freshly printed pictures, still warm from the machine.

"We think these are our guys." Frank said, coming over to look at the pages from over Victoria's shoulder. "The EMTs and the driver of the truck that hit Ivan's limo."

Victoria's head snapped up at his words. "Do you have the footage?"

Frank exchanged a look with Cooper and Marvin.

"So that's a yes." Victoria brushed past Frank to stand over Marvin. "Let me see it."

Marvin knew better than to argue and cued up the video.

Victoria watched without a trace of emotion as a traffic camera showed a quiet intersection. A moment passed before Ivan's limo drove into the frame and was immediately struck with bone-jarring force by a large pickup truck. The momentum of the crash flipped the car onto its roof and it slid several meters before coming to a rest. In less than a minute an ambulance appeared and the car door was wrenched open by the EMTs. The men worked extremely quickly and had soon pulled Ivan from the wreckage. Only once Ivan appeared on the screen, obviously unconscious, did Victoria briefly betray her emotions. Her eyebrows knit together in a flash of anger and concern but in an instant it had past as she suppressed those unhelpful emotions.

"Can your people ID these men?" Victoria asked once the ambulance had left the screen.

"The screen grabs are being run through our system as we speak." Cooper replied "I'm also having them check for affiliates of the two men captured in Moscow this morning."

"Are those camera feeds still active, Marvin?" Frank asked, leaning in over the back of the man's chair.

"I think so."

"We should go back through the cameras closest to this location at the time of the accident and shortly after. We may be able to pick out the truck and get a direction of travel faster than Cooper's team."

Cooper rolled his eyes. "I doubt it."

"Got it." Marvin announced.

"What?" Cooper exclaimed in disbelief.

"Direction of travel is south-west. I've tracked them to the edge of the city. Looks like they are headed for route 66."

"How did you-"

"I think you've had just enough time here, don't you?"

The strange voice that filled the room and emanated from the computers speakers, startling the group and interrupting Cooper's shocked response to Marvin's computer prowess.

"Who is that?" Sarah asked looking around the room.

"Did your people not sweep the building?" Victoria asked, nearly aghast.

"Its been quite entertaining watching you track down 'clues' but your time is up. We've left behind a little 'gift'."

At that word the group exchanged knowing looks.

"You've got less than two minutes."

Frank started guiding Sarah to the exit. "We've got nearly all we can. Let's go."

Victoria looked to Marvin. "Did we miss anything?"

"I would hate for you all to die needlessly." The voice mocked threateningly. "One minute twenty seconds."

Victoria felt a pressure on her shoulder and looked down to see Cooper's hand there, the message was clear.

* * *

From the comfort of a couch Rick, Russell, Jay, Alan and Steve watched as the five raced from the building.

"This is going to be good." Steve said, smiling in anticipation.

The other men grinned in agreement. Rick typed a series of code into the computer. The words 'Detonate: Y/N?' flashed across the screen.

"They clear?"

Alan watched on the other laptop as the last of the group, the older bowlegged man dressed in mismatched clothes, cleared the garage bay doors. He had surprised them by how quickly he'd traced their route. "Ya."

Rick typed out the letters 'Y-E-S' and his finger hovered over the enter key for a moment before pressing it with vigor.

* * *

Victoria felt the blast from the explosion a split second before the sound of the detonation ripped through the air, deafening all those in the vicinity. Debris and dust blew past in a rush of hot air as they dove for cover behind Cooper's SUV. When she opened her eyes the world was clouded with dust and chunks of what used to be the garage rained down around them. In her hand she clenched the crumbled papers that bore the faces of the men who took her fiancé upon them.

"Well that seemed unnecessary." Marvin said in an overly loud voice, his ears still suffering the effects of the blast.

Frank helped Sarah to her feet while Cooper did the same for Victoria, gently dusting off her shoulders as he did.

"Why would they allow us time to escape?" Sarah asked as she ran trembling fingers through her tousled hair in an attempt to straighten it and shake the dust free.

"They're playing games with us." Cooper replied agitatedly.

"They were watching us the whole time." Frank added.

"Still could be." Marvin stated, gesturing towards the traffic camera and waving.

"We should regroup elsewhere." Victoria said firmly, leaving no room for argument.

Cooper pushed a remnant of a door off the side of his SUV while Frank lifted a cinderblock off the now dented and scratched hood.

"I don't think that's going to buff out." Frank grinned.

Cooper gave a wry smile in return. "Good thing it's a company car."

* * *

"That went off better than expected." Steve laughed. "Nice fireworks, Russell."

Russell smirked and accepted the praise with ease.

"Kind of you to let the old fellow make it to cover, Rick." Alan observed.

"Like I've said before, I'm not interested in collateral damage." Rick replied. "It's easier to slip away from a job with no body count. We stand to make enough on this one job to last a lifetime so let's not screw it up. That old guy tracked our truck before we even realized he'd done it. Too close." He closed the laptop. "Excellent work on the facial alterations on the video though, Alan. Now they will be looking for three completely none existent men-"

"Or three unlucky real men." Steve joked, briefly interrupting Rick and garnering a laugh from the group.

Rick stood and clasp Steve's shoulder. He was about to speak when his watch began to beep. He pressed the button to silence the alarm. "Eight o'clock." He crossed to the kitchen island and grabbed a bottle of whiskey, pouring our five shots into the awaiting glasses. Each man took a glass and Rick raised his in a toast.

"Here's to the success of our friends."

"Success!" The men echoed solemnly before throwing back their drinks.

"If they all goes well we should know within the hour." Alan stated, pouring another round of drinks. "Once we receive the information we can put the word out."

"And the bidding begins." Jay said, raising his glass with the others.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of any of the characters from the R.E.D. or its sequel.

The first thing Ivan became aware of was the pain, not sharp and fresh, but dulled by medication. To a man who had lived the life Ivan had, the feeling was not a new one. In his vast experience on returning to the conscious world after various injuries or other predicaments common to the spy community, Ivan knew in which order he would regained his senses and abilities. First was the return of awareness, followed by immediate and unfortunate sensation of pain caused by whatever injuries had been wrought before and/or after the loss of consciousness. Hearing came next. It began as low, indistinguishable noises that slowly morphed into recognizable sounds. Speech would follow shortly thereafter. Ivan always found this strange, that speech would proceed movement and vision, save for the weak twitching motions of one's arms, legs and the tossing of one's head. He found the fact that a man could involuntarily moan in pain before being able to do a thing about the circumstances that caused it was frustrating and, to a lesser degree, laughable. Ivan lay still and waited with practiced patience for his body to progress through the stages of waking, deciding to use the time to catalogue his various aches and pains of which there were a few.

The worst of the pain seemed centered around the right side of his head. A pain, though blunted by drugs, throbbed with each beat of his heart. A tightness around his eye and cheek indicated swelling and a telltale sting usually associated with a wound closed by stitches. His right shoulder, hip and knee hurt but not as badly as the burning injury at his side. He decided trying to move at the moment would not be a wise choice.

As Ivan's thought process slowly regained momentum he realized he didn't remember the situation that lead to his injuries. It was his experience that the drugs and the head injury most likely held equal amounts of blame for the missing memories. Rather than tax his already aching head, Ivan focused his energy on opening his eyes which was already proving to me a monumental task. Eventually his efforts were rewarded and a blurry, out of focus room came into view. While Ivan's eyes vehemently refused to focus he was still able to make out some of the room's details. The wooden walls were bare and directly across from the foot of the bed was the space's lone window. The room's only light at the moment appeared to come from a flood lamp that was most likely used to light the perimeter of the building. Although it was quiet, Ivan could make out the faint murmur of voices coming from just beyond the door he assumed from the sounds was on his left.

Having ascertained he was in no immediate danger, and effectively alone for the time being, Ivan decided to test his luck and try and sit up. His movements were halted almost before they began and he belatedly realized several things: (a) he was being held down against a ridged board by straps, (b) he was wearing what felt like a neck brace, and (c) there was some sort of restrictive splint on his left wrist.

'Not good.' Ivan thought. He appeared to be strapped to a backboard in a room that was definitely not a hospital and, from what little he could make out beyond the window, was in the middle of nowhere. 'Not good at all.'

Ivan carefully tested the strength of the straps but quickly found them to be too strong to break and too tightly fastened to slip out of. An experimental clenching of his left hand revealed that the splint was not only taped securely in place but there to protect what felt distinctly like an I.V. port.

Knowing he had no options and no real information available to him at that point in time, the ambassador forced himself to relax and wait. For whatever was going on he had clearly been cared for in some matter, as was evidenced by the drugs and stitches. This served to reinforce his earlier conclusion that he was not in any immediate peril so he then tried to occupy his thoughts with other matters.

Seeing as it was mid-way through the month of May and the sun had set, Ivan knew it must be sometime after eight-thirty. That meant he had missed his dinner with Victoria. 'She will be looking for me.' Ivan smiled as the realization struck him. His Victoria was a force unto her own. Finding that thought equal parts relaxing and invigorating Ivan redoubled his efforts and tried to recall his last memory before waking up in this room. What had he done that day? Ivan wrestled with the darkness that seemed to be keeping his memories at bay when a finally a little snippet of a remembrance made it's through. Ivan locked onto it and held tight as though it were a lifeline.

'I had lunch at my desk.' Not an altogether unusual event but it was a start. He remembered looking at something and, closing his eyes, he concentrated as hard as he could. 'A schedule.' That was good but what was on it. It had been a very busy day, something unusual had happened and he recalled having next to no time to himself … except in the car. 'I had a meeting with Director Cooper. We were discussing …' He struggled to come up with topic of conversation.

Then suddenly it all came back in a flash; the capture of the two Americans at the Kremlin, the functioning chaos of his office that morning, the brief moment of peace and respite brought by Victoria's call on the balcony, the rushed lunch, the sharing of information with Copper at Langley and finally the car crash that left him lying in a mess of broken glass on the interior roof of his car. Ivan opened his eyes and let go of the breath he had not realized he'd been holding. The dim room was a bit more focused this time around and he took some solace in that.

Not long after Ivan's attention had been drawn to counting the knots that adorned the boards of the ceiling when he heard the sounds of approaching footsteps and voices. As the door swung open, a light was flipped on causing the pain in Ivan's head to spike mercilessly and forcing him to squeeze his eyes shut against it.

"Good evening, Ambassador." A greeted a voice light with laughter. "Glad to see you're awake."

Ivan forced his eyes open but had to squint in the face of the bright overhead light. He was never one to show weakness to an enemy but strapped down as he was, and finding himself completely at the mercy of the two men who now stood over him, Ivan forgave himself the involuntary watering of his eyes.

The man who had spoken clearly took notice of the Russian's pained expression because he crossed back to the door and turned off the overhead light, relieving the pain in Ivan's eyes.

"Sorry about that. Thoughtless action on my part." The man said. He looked across to the man now positioned on Ivan's left. "Enough light for you?" He asked addressing the other man.

"Oh yah." Came the reply.

The man turned his attention to Ivan once again. "We are going to make you a little more comfortable, Ambassador."

"In more ways than one." The other man said, drawing Ian's attention back over in time to see a needle inserted into the I.V. port in his hand.

The effects were instantaneous. A rush of warmth and an undeniable lethargy rolled like a wave through Ivan's veins, washing away the pain and leaving only soothed muscles and a dazed mind in its wake. His eyes slipped closed of their own accord.

"That's better, isn't it?" the words were accompanied by a pat on the shoulder. "Now that we have your enforced compliance we can remove all these straps."

Ivan could hear Velcro being peeled and felt the pressure of the straps dissipate and then disappear entirely. The world tipped sideways for a moment as the board was removed and when the world righted itself he found himself sinking into a soft mattress. The neck brace was removed and, freed from the restriction, his head lolled sideways onto a pillow. A hand cupped his cheek and turned his unresisting head as probing fingers checked the stitches by his eye and cheek.

"I apologize for the injuries that were inflicted upon you as a result of your capture. You really ought to wear your seatbelt, you know."

Despite himself Ivan allowed a grunt of laughter to escape and he forced his eyes open. "You wreaked my car." Ivan replied flatly.

The man laughed at that. "True but you won't be needing it any longer."

"That sounds ominous." Ivan voice was slightly slurred. He allowed his eyes to close. He refused to ask the clichéd questions; 'Why am I here?' or 'What do you want with me?' He knew in these situations the captor would either answer those questions without provocation or refuse, even when asked, based solely on their own whims and fancies.

"We've got it, Rick."

Ivan opened his eyes once more at the sound of the new voice and watched as 'Rick' was handed an iPad by the newcomer.

"They made it out then? Wonderful." The man that had given him the injection exclaimed, unmistakably pleased.

"Only one." The newcomer corrected.

The men were silent as this news sunk in.

"He retrieved all the information." Rick said, eyes glued to the screen of the iPad as he scrolled through the documents.

After a moment Rick closed the case on the iPad. "We are a go for tomorrow. Mr. Simanov, you are about to make us very rich men."

"Ransom, is it?" Ivan asked, fighting to stay marginally coherent.

"Not quite." Rick motioned for the others to leave the room. "Don't worry. It will all become clear tomorrow. Sleep well, Ambassador." Rick smiled with worrying pleasure as he pulled the door closed behind him.

Ivan listened as the lock clicked into place and the footsteps faded away before trying to get up. Unfortunately for Ivan the drug had done a very good job at both relieving his pain and inhibiting his fine and gross motor skills. With a sigh of frustration he gave up and resigned himself to succumbing to the sedative as well as his own body's demand for healing sleep.

* * *

Victoria rested against the headboard of the queen size bed in her hotel room. Cooper had arranged for a suite of rooms and, while the rest of the team was still discussing options and tracking down leads, Victoria found herself in need of a quiet moment to collect her thoughts. It had been so long since she had felt this way that she had forgotten the emotional toll caring for someone so deeply could take. She had just about steeled herself up to return to the common area when her phone rang. She snatched it up off the duvet and answered in a blink.

"Hello?"

"It's Yana. I have news."

Victoria was so grateful for the young woman's commitment to her Ivan. "Go on."

"The two spies who were captured at the Kremlin this morning escaped." Yana began.

"How is that possible?"

"That is not all. They stole vital information about our country's nuclear missile locations and launch codes. They locked all the systems so there is no way to change the codes and re-secure the systems."

Victoria was shocked into silence by the news.

"One of the men was killed as they fled. The second was tracked down and killed in a firefight but not before he had sent all the information to a third party." Yana concluded.

"Has this information been forwarded to other governments?" Victoria asked as she began to pace around her bed.

"Not to my knowledge. This is very embarrassing for my government. They believe the incident is somehow tied to the Ambassador's kidnapping. They are putting together a retrieval team as we speak."

Victoria took a second to digest all the information she had just been given. "Did they specify the conditions of retrieval?"

When Yana didn't answer immediately Victoria knew it did not bode well for Ivan.

"The emphasis was put on alive if at all possible but they fear the same people who took him now have the codes and may be preparing an auction of some kind. They…" here she paused again as her voice trembled. "They cannot afford to let either fall into certain parties hands."

Victoria's chest tightening in fear and anger.

"I am sorry." Yana cried. "I wish there was something I could do to help."

"Yana, you have been indispensable. We will get Ivan back and the codes as well. Please don't hesitate to call with any new information."

"The minute I hear anything, you shall know." Yana promised.

"Thank you, dear." Each word heavy with heartfelt meaning.

"You are welcome and good luck."

* * *

When Victoria passed through the doors that led from her room to the lounge the conversation ceased and each head turned to look at her. She crossed in silence to where the others sat on the couch and armchairs around the large coffee table. Marvin had been working at a laptop belonging to Director Cooper which gave him unrestricted access to the C.I.A.'s network. Through it he had been able to access the state highway cameras and was attempting, from the look of it as Victoria passed by, to track the truck they believed had taken Ivan.

Victoria took a seat in the lone empty armchair and met the group's gaze.

"What's wrong?" Sarah asked, voicing the question they were all thinking.

"Yana called." Victoria met Cooper's eyes. "The two spies were that broke into the Kremlin not only escaped but managed to steal the locations and launch codes of all the Russian's nuclear weapons."

Marvin dropped his head into his hands and began rubbing his temples while mumbling to himself something that sounded suspiciously like "It's happening, it's finally happening. We're all gonna die."

Ignoring Marvin's ramblings, Victoria continued. "Both men were killed but not before they locked the Russians out of their own systems and transferred the codes to a third party whom the Russians currently suspect are the same men who took Ivan. They are, at this very moment, activating a retrieval team who have orders to recover both Ivan and the information at all costs."

"That doesn't sound good." Sarah uttered before she could stop herself.

"It most certainly is not." Victoria replied none the less. "We need to find Ivan before they do. They will not be as concerned for his wellbeing as I."

Frank took the laptop from Marvin and turned it to face Victoria. "Marvin had tracked the truck to this point. Highway I-81 South-"

"Farther actually." Marvin interrupted, seemingly finished with his mini breakdown.

"What?"

Marvin took the laptop back and pulled up two grainy images as Cooper and Victoria stood and moved behind the couch to get a better view. "This," he said pointing to the first image. "was taken from a camera feed at the post office in Marl Creek. It turned right onto the Tye River Turnpike. And this one was taken a few minutes down the road at the Vesuvius post office. Still following the turnpike." Marvin paused and pulled up a satellite image of a property that would ideally suit the purposes of the kidnappers. "This is a satellite grab of where I think they are keeping him. Driving comes in from the north-west, an out building for the truck, unobscured three-hundred and sixty degree view of the property surrounding the house, nearby town for amenities and it holds the high ground."

"How do you know they didn't travel further down the road?" Sarah asked, leaning in to look at the property.

"No other property fits the criteria, plus," Marvin pulled up a realtor's site. "This home was purchased one week ago by an all cash buyer."

"I'll arrange for a helicopter." Cooper said pulling out his phone and crossing to a quiet corner of the room.

"Great work, Marvin. Now we have the layout and the images of the interior." Frank exclaimed, slapping the Marvin on the knee.

Victoria walked round the couch and squeezed in between Marvin and the arm of the sofa, planting a kiss on the man's cheek. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He mumbled in typical Marvin fashion as a slight blush coloured his cheeks.

Frank leaned over and pulled the satellite image back up. "It will take just under an hour and a half to get there by helicopter. If we land here," he said pointing to a field beyond the trees at the base of the hill the cabin sat atop of "we can go in by foot without arousing suspicion. The layout of the cabin looks fairly simple. Wood beam cabin, one floor, no basement, open living room kitchen area, two bedrooms and a bathroom in-between them. Ten windows and two doors."

"He's most likely in one if the smaller rooms. Less exits to defend. Victoria reasoned as she studied the page. "Was this sold furnished?" She suddenly asked.

"Um, yah." Marvin answered.

"He'll be in this room then. He was injured and this is the only room with a bed." Victoria said pointing the single bed shown on the screen.

"We should prepare for other eventualities." Marvin reminded. "There is a chance we may run into that Russian retrieval team."

Victoria's eyes darkened. "The way I feel today they'd better not get in my way."

"Noted." Marvin said as he inched away from the angry woman.

Cooper crossed back over to the team, slipping his cellphone back into his suit jacket pocket. "The chopper will be on the roof in fifteen minutes. We'd better get ready."


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of any of the characters from the R.E.D. or its sequel.

The helicopter was one minute late, which of course sent Marvin into a paranoid spiral that ended with Frank chasing him down a stairwell attempting to convince him that all was well. By the time Frank returned to the roof with a reluctant Marvin the others had already loaded their gear and were fastening their seatbelts.

"For goodness sake, Marvin! Hurry up!" Victoria called over the roar of the propeller blades as the two men climbed in.

"They were late, they could have used that time to take out the flight crew and replace them with assassins." Marvin complained once everyone had their headphones in place.

"Oh get a grip, Marvin!" Victoria scolded.

Sarah started to eye the flight crew suspiciously over her shoulder and Cooper took notice. In hopes of averting any further unpleasantness during the flight, especially since they were trapped together in a confined space for the next hour and a half, he reached forward and tapped the pilot on the shoulder.

"Hey Mike. Can you assure my friends that you and Terry are who you say you are?"

The pilot and co-pilot turned in their seats and flipped up their visors. Revealing a mustachioed man named Mike and a blonde woman with kind eyes in the co-pilot chair.

"It's true. I am who I say I am." The man smiled.

"Ditto." Waved Terry, leaving Sarah reassured and Marvin mumbled to himself yet again.

"We can all hear you, Marvin." Frank said, tapping the mic attached to the other man's headphones.

"Oh, sorry." Marvin apologized and flipped up the mic to continue with his agitated muttering.

"That's much better." Sarah said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Let's go, Mike." Cooper instructed.

* * *

The helicopter lifted off from the hotel's rooftop helipad and headed south-west towards the GPS coordinates that had been provided by the Director. As planned they would be landing in a field a short distance from the cabin, out of sight, and then using the cover of the trees they would advance with stealth to the tree line surrounding the cabin.

"How many men do you think we'll be dealing with?" Sarah asked once they were underway.

"Three that we know of." Frank said. "Plus the one who monitored the CCTV cameras."

"Since the operation depends on discreetness and secrecy they would most likely keep the operation small." Victoria reasoned.

"Five to eight people." Cooper suggested.

"Eight's a bit heavy." Frank countered. "Seven."

"Five." Marvin had put his mic back in place.

"No one's chosen six so I guess I'll take it." Sarah smiled.

Victoria laughed and squeezed the younger woman's hand.

Frank took an iPad from his bag and pulled up the satellite image of the cabin and surrounding area. "Vicky, you'll be here in the tree line to the north of the cabin. It gives a clear view of the west, north and east sides of the building as well as the room we believe they are keeping Ivan in."

Victoria nodded. "I have been looking a reason to use the infrared scope Ivan gave me last month. This wouldn't have been my first choice though I am certain he will be glad I am putting it to good use."

"Sarah, you'll be here beside the garage keeping an eye on the south side of the house. Remember that Victoria will take care of the other three sides, only shoot against this side of the house so we can avoid friendly fire." Frank pointed to where the garage's front corner and the back corner of the cabin lined up though twenty meters further south. It created a blind spot on the south-eastern part of the lawn for Victoria and Sarah only would be responsible for its coverage.

"Got it." Sarah nodded, excited as ever.

"Marvin will come up from the west, towards the front of the house. Cooper will accompany Victoria and approach from the north and I will come up from the south-east with Sarah. We will scout the perimeter, get a head count on occupants and decide on the best points of entry."

"Are we incapacitating or executing?" Marvin inquired, turning a silencer round in his fingers.

"Aim to incapacitate. We will want them for questioning. Especially if they can lock the Russians out of their own computer systems." Cooper stated with a smirk.

"But team safety is first priority." Frank amended.

"Are we going to put that black makeup on?"

"You mean face paint, honey." Frank corrected lovingly as he dug into the pocket of his dark grey pants and pulled out a small jar. He expertly applied the paint to Sarah's face and then to his own before passing the jar off to Victoria. Marvin and Cooper had each brought their own. Sarah appeared jealous of the multi-toned paint that Marvin was applying.

"Looking good, Marvin." Sarah complimented. "We should get that kind next, Frank."

Frank swore that if Marvin's face had not been painted they would have seen him blushing again. He stifled a laugh as he saw Victoria roll her eyes.

The team was ready; dressed in blacks and greys, toques on their heads, guns in their hands, extra clips, grenades, knives and other paraphernalia stashed about their persons.

"Once we have the Ambassador, Mike will be ready to fly in if we need to make a quick exit." Cooper said, breaking the tense silence that had fallen on the group.

"We're ten minutes out, sir." Mike informed.

"Thanks." Cooper handed out small, black earpieces, set to a closed circuit that only included those in the helicopter.

"These new?" Frank asked, turning the device over in his fingers as he examined it.

"Yah, smaller than ever but can still pick up our voices clearly." Cooper answered, pleased he'd managed to impress Moses.

"I think I liked the old ones better."

Sarah and Victoria laughed at the crestfallen look on Cooper's face.

* * *

The helicopter flew in low from the west to avoid detection and landed in an empty field located downhill from the cabin. Frank and Cooper jumped out first, offering a helping hand to the ladies and Marvin. Earbuds now in place the team ran to the treeline before splitting up and heading to their assigned positions.

Victoria, Cooper and Marvin moved silently to the north, while Frank and Sarah went to the south to skirt around the edges of the cleared portion of the property to their position.

It was a steady uphill hike in the dark, their progress impeded not only by the thickness of the trees and brush but the need for stealth. After ten minutes Marvin split from Victoria and Cooper to head east while they continued north. Two minutes had passed when Marvin's voice came across their earbuds.

"There are tripwires. Looks like they are attached to small charges. I only saw it because it glinted in the moonlight. They should have greased the wires."

"Copy that." Cooper replied.

"Nice catch, Marvin." Frank stated.

Victoria and Cooper slowed their pace, not wanting to set off any explosions. They both knew the wires would most likely be set closer to the cleared edge of the property but caution was always the prudent choice in such a situation.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of any of the characters from the R.E.D. or its sequel.

In the small room in the cabin, Ivan was fighting his way back into the waking world for the second time that day. The pain was back, as the drug had worn off, a fact that Ivan was grateful for as he knew it was the pain that had woken him. Wasting no time, he tore the tape from his hand and carefully removed the I.V. port, and repurposed a piece of the tape to stem the sudden flow of blood caused by its removal. Quietly he pushed himself up into a sitting position and cautiously leaned back against the headboard. He was dizzy and stiff but his determination won out and he was able to swing his legs over the side of the bed. Ivan braced himself for the pain and dizziness that were sure to come with his attempt at standing and putting weight on his hurt leg. He chastised himself for his hesitation.

'It's only walking.' He told himself as he steadied himself against the wall, he winched as his shoulder and elbow protested, but levered himself to his feet none the less. The world began to spin and Ivan found himself leaning more heavily against the wall, willing away the vertigo before carefully limping towards the window.

With each shuffling step the old floorboards creaked and Ivan would pause, certain the noise would alert his captors and bring them down upon him, but each time no one came and he was able to continue his slow progress towards the window. Crossing the ten feet of space had felt like it had taken an eternity but he had made it without incident. He rested his head against the cool pane for a moment and waited for the worst of the wooziness to pass before gently releasing the window's rusty metal latch and beginning to ease the old wooden sash open. Unbeknownst to Ivan, as the sash slid slowly upwards there was a click as two hidden pieces of metal came into contact and an electrical current was completed. A loud crack and bright flash sent Ivan flying backwards into the footboard of the bed before tumbling to the floor.

* * *

'All the lights just dimmed." Marvin reported.

"We are nearing our position." Victoria responded, fighting off the urge to run to the treeline.

"We saw it." Frank answered. "Any movement inside?"

Marvin watched through his night vision goggles. "Two men are walking towards one of the bedrooms on the north side of the house."

Victoria and Cooper skirted a final tripwire and took up positions within the edge of the treeline just in time to see a dark room illuminated as a door open and a light switched on.

"They're looking at something on the floor." Cooper observed.

* * *

Rick and Jay entered the room to find the ambassador laying in a heap on the floor at the foot of the bed.

"You weren't trying to leave through the window, were you?" Rick asked.

"Needed some air." Ivan replied in a shaky voice as he pushed himself up into a seated position. He was feeling worse for wear, his hands trembled slightly with the after effects of the shock he'd received.

"If you had bothered to ask we could have warned you about the faulty wiring. We have that trouble throughout the cabin."

Ivan could hear the pleasure in the man's voice as he gave the cloaked warning. He knew, belatedly, that he should have checked the window but he had assuredly suffered a concussion and had been drugged repeatedly over the past however many hours so he forgave himself the brief lapse in judgement.

"I didn't want to be a bother."

Rick laughed as Jay helped Ivan to his feet and pulled the Russian's arm across his shoulders.

"Let's bring him out to the living room where we can keep a better eye on him. We can introduce him to the boys and show him what he has to look forward to tomorrow."

Jay raised an eyebrow at first but then nodded and led Ivan out to the main room.

* * *

"There's Ivan." Victoria exclaimed. A million thoughts raced through her mind as she took in her fiancé's battered condition.

"He was on the floor." Cooper told the others. "It looks like the drop in power was caused by Ivan trying to open the window." The C.I.A. director surmised as he saw the men helping Ivan out of the room and the partially opened window. "We should assume the rest are wired as well."

"Copy." Marvin answered.

"Understood." Came Frank's reply.

"They are taking him to the main room." Victoria said, her sight focused and finger itching to pull the trigger.

"I have a visual on that." Marvin confirmed. "Five targets in the great room."

* * *

Ivan was dropped unceremoniously into an armchair in the main room of the cabin. There were three other men in the room, sitting on two sofas and the additional armchair, all of whom looked fairly surprised to see him joining them. He ran a hand through his hair and attempted to smooth out his rumpled suit jacket and blood stained shirt and tie, affecting an air of nonchalance.

"The boys have already met you, Ambassador, and you don't need to know their names." Rick said as he sat down on the couch next to Ivan. "I thought that since the Ambassador was bored we should let him know about the excitement that awaits him tomorrow. You know? To keep him out of trouble."

Alan looked up from his laptop. "Really?"

Rick nodded in the affirmative.

"Alright. In a few hours we will be hosting an auction on the Deep Web." Alan began.

"Those men you were meeting with Director Cooper about were with us. They allowed themselves to be captured to create an opportunity for us to take you, which in turn distracted your people enough to allow our men to escape and retrieve some pretty vital information from the Kremlin."

Rick had taken on the superior air of a man far too confident and sure of himself in Ivan's opinion. Rick leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, closing the distance between Ivan and himself. The self-satisfied smirk on Rick's face enraged Ivan but he refused to allow himself to be baited.

"We are now in possession of all your country's nuclear missile positions and launch codes." Rick crowed. That information in itself did not worry Ivan and Rick knew it. "Oh, I forgot to mention the fact that my men then locked your people out of their own system so they cannot possible change the codes."

Ivan's eyes narrowed at that.

"Individuals and countries around the globe will be entering competing bids for the codes in the first auction and for you in the second." Rick fell silent, allowing the information time to sink in.

Ivan was actually suitably impressed with the plan. What he had thought in the morning to be the unexplainable actions of two fools was in fact a well-organized plan executed by seeming professionals.

"Your country is free to bid on you and the codes, of course, but we've actually had a lot more interest on your behalf from the Iranians and the Turks. We have a proper bidding war brewing."

Ivan let his head fall against the back of the chair in astonishment at that revelation.

"Now, they weren't the only ones, just the most vocal up to this point. It seems you have stepped on some toes in the past, Ambassador. What did you do to the Turks, huh?" Rick asked with genuine interest. "They are chomping at the bit to get their hands on you."

Ivan laughed and shook his head. "What is that saying in English? 'If I told you I'd have to kill you'."

Rick shared a small laugh. "I guess I'm not the one you'll have to answer to."

* * *

Frank and Sarah were in position next to the garage. He had watched as Sarah set up her rifle and tripod and helped her adjust her scope.

"Can I get an infrared one like Victoria?" She asked in her pretty please voice. "It's so awesome."

"Yes, can she?" Marvin chimed in. Marvin was a great proponent for Sarah's induction and training in their covert profession.

"Let's see how this goes tonight first, then we'll talk." Frank sighed. "Are we ready to move?"

"I think I should stay in first position. I have eyes on all targets and these large windows will make a covert approach difficult to say the least." Marvin said as he lay flat on his belly and watched the front room through his rifle scope. "Ivan seems to be alright considering." He added for Victoria's benefit.

"Thank you, Marvin." Victoria said, breathing a sigh of relief. The only view she'd had of him was him being dragged from the room.

"Let's go, Frank." Cooper said. "Our best chance to clear the yard is while they are all in the front room."

"We clear, Marvin?" Frank asked, double checking.

"Yeah, you should go now."

Frank kissed Sarah. "Be safe, babe."

"You too." She whispered as he took off in a low crouch, moving quickly and quietly across the open space between the garage and the cabin. Within twenty seconds he had crossed the distance and was now peering in the window of the side door.

"At the side door." Frank informed the team.

"North centre window." Cooper called back.

"I can take out the electricity when you boys are ready." Victoria said, training her rifle on the point where the above ground electrical wire entered the cabin near the rear peak of the house.

"Hold on. Something's up." Marvin advised.

* * *

"We've got company." Alan said suddenly.

Ivan watched as all five men immediately produced multiple weapons from the recesses of their clothing, from beneath furniture and between couch cushions. Probably one of the reasons the men were skeptical of Rick having brought Ivan out into the area. Within seconds all the men were armed to the teeth.

"Where?" Rick asked.

"Side door. North window." Alan showed them the camera feed.

* * *

"They've made you, they have cameras." Marvin announced.

"Vicky, take out the electricity. Cooper, move as soon as it's out." Frank struggled to keep his voice calm against the rising tide of anxiety. The cameras must be microscopic for them to have missed them.

Victoria exhaled and squeezed the trigger. The bullet obliterated the wire right where it connected to the cabin, resulting in a loud crack and a shower of sparks before darkness blanketed the cabin and its occupants.

"Move!" Frank said as he kicked in the door before he ran around the east side of the cabin.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of any of the characters from the R.E.D. or its sequel.

"Fire!" Rick yelled as the cabin went dark and there was a crash as the side door swung inward and struck the kitchen cabinetry. The silence of the night exploded with gunfire as the four men fired in the direction of the perceived threat.

Counting on the fact that all his captors were distracted, Ivan decided to play a hunch. He leaned forward, very slowly so as not to attract Rick's attention, and reached out towards the bottom of the coffee table, winching as his injured muscles cried out. His fingers came into contacted with the cool textured grip of a handgun and smiled. He pulled gently and the Velcro holding the weapon in place gave way releasing the gun into his hand. Calmly, Ivan leaned back and slipped the gun into his jacket pocket. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness by the time the men had stopped firing. The last shell casings rang out as they hit the hard wooden floorboards and rolled away. The silence that followed was deafening.

* * *

Cooper and Frank crouched down against the east wall.

"Victoria, Marvin. What can you see?" Cooper asked once the shooting had ceased.

"They are in the centre of the room, starting to spread out." Marvin reported.

"Vicky, can you take out some windows?" Frank asked.

"Consider it done."

* * *

Ivan ducked as glass rained down upon him as the pictures windows exploded inwards.

"Get down!" Rick yelled as dove down, pulling Ivan down as he went, both men falling heavily to the ground.

The sound of breaking glass and the thump of bullets striking wood as they reached the end of their trajectory was all that could be heard in the cabin.

"Marvin, do the front. Sarah the south side." Frank instructed as he moved to the north side of the cabin, back glued to the wall.

Glass continued to shatter in a hail of bullets, creating multiple entry and exit points for Cooper, Frank and Ivan.

* * *

"They're all on the ground." Victoria reported.

Frank eased open the window Ivan had unlocked earlier and slipped soundlessly into the dark room. He tiptoed across the worn wood floor but just as Ivan had experienced earlier the floor creaked no matter how softly he tread.

* * *

Ivan tried to push himself up off the floor but was halted by a stern knee in the back.

"Stay down." Rick ordered as he pressed Ivan to the floorboards.

For the second time that day Ivan found himself lying face first in broken glass.

* * *

Cooper noiselessly made his way around the cabin, he slid past the door Frank had kicked open and to the south-western corner of the cabin where all the picture windows had been shot out.

"Laser sights on." Cooper said and watched as the three red dots trained themselves on the men where they lay and switched target constantly, creating the impression there were dozens of snipers as opposed to just three.

* * *

Ivan could see the red dots and smiled as one drew a heart on a man's back in front of him, a not so subtle message from Victoria. When the heart disappeared he knew it was trained on the man pinning him to the ground. Ivan inched his hand towards the gun hidden in his pocket, not wanting to be unarmed when the real action began.

"Put down your weapons and release the Ambassador."

Ivan recognized Director Cooper's commanding voice.

"Move to the empty room, we need better cover. Now!" Rick commanded.

Ivan let himself be dragged to his feet and watched as the other men started towards the back room. Ivan stumbled and forced Rick to stop, increasing the distance between themselves and the others.

"Move!" Rick yelled as he yanked on Ivan's arm.

Ivan pulled the gun from his pocket and pressed it into the Rick's ribs. "No." He was pleased by the look of shock and outrage that flashed across the taller man's face.

* * *

"Switch off laser sights. Looks like Ivan has a man at gun point. Right in front of the room where he was being kept. The rest are in the south bedroom." Frank heard Marvin and took it as his cue to enter the main room. He saw Ivan and the man standing in close proximity to one another, both with weapons in hand but Ivan's was jabbed into the other man's side.

* * *

Frank edged into the room.

"Who's your friend, Ivan?" Frank asked, relieved to see the man was still able to take care of himself.

Ivan gave a small backwards nod to acknowledge Frank's presence without taking his attention off the other man. "Nice of you to come."

Frank reached forward and removed the gun from the man's grip. "Why don't we head back into this bedroom before they notice your absence?" He suggested. He put a hand on Ivan's shoulder and helped guide him as they backed into the room, keeping the man between them and the room into which the others disappeared.

"This is Rick." Ivan introduced Frank to his former captor. "He is man responsible for all of this."

Frank patted Ivan on the back and took charge of their prisoner. He could tell the man was running on limited reserves at the moment and his observation was confirmed when Ivan stepped aside without objection. "Tell your men to stand down or they will be shot." Frank ordered.

Rick stared down at Frank defiantly. "No."

"Frank, we have movement on the east side. Four men exiting the window, splitting up. Half coming your way and half towards Sarah and the garage." Victoria said urgently.

"I'll cut them off." Cooper responded, his voice sounded as though he was already running.

It was about to get messy and Frank didn't like messy.

"Ivan, we have company coming." Frank had barely gotten the words out of his mouth when bullets sprayed in the window, shattering the glass and sending up a spray of splintered wood in its wake. Frank pushed Rick out the door even as Ivan dove for it himself.

The three men landed in a pile of tangled limbs, crashing up against the back of the sofa. The men scrambled to separate themselves, Frank and Ivan seeking to prevent Rick from attempting an escape.

"There are weapons hidden all over." Ivan told Frank, spotting a rifle that had become dislodged by their collision with the sofa and knocking it from Rick's grasp. A creak from the floor alerted them to the presence of someone in the room they had just vacated. They rolled to opposite sides of the doorway just in time to avoid the barrage of bullets that nearly cut the sofa in half.

Frank reached out and hauled Rick down as he tried to run. Rick kicked out and caught Frank in the shoulder, knocking him back against the wall and the gun from his grasp. Seizing the opportunity, Rick pulled a knife from his boot and leaped at Frank. Frank readied himself for the impact but it never came. An object flashed through the air in front of him and Rick cried out in pain, falling back with a knife protruding from his forearm. Frank knocked Rick senseless with a hard right cross and watched the man flop to the ground.

"Still handy with a knife I see." Frank said as he forced Rick onto his belly and, producing a zip tie from his pocket, secured his hands behind his back. Only then did he remove the knife, wiping it clean on the man's shirt. Ivan was still on the other side of the doorway the gunfire having not yet died down.

"Like riding bike." Ivan smiled. He released the magazine on his gun, checked to see that it was indeed full then slammed it back into place. He slid the barrel back and looked over at Frank. "We need them alive, yes?"

"Preferably." A bullet took out a chunk of the wall inches from his face. "But I am starting to wonder if it's really necessary. Victoria, can you take them out? Humanely?" Frank asked.

"They're both inside the cabin, away from the window. I have no visual." Came the reply.

Frank made eye contact with Ivan and inclined his head towards the room. Ivan nodded back and held up three fingers, then two, and one. Ivan went low, dropping onto his shoulder and firing two shots, and Frank went high firing once. Ivan's man went down with a wound to either shoulder and Frank's fell with a high chest wound. Neither men presented a threat any longer, both unconscious but in all likelihood not in any danger of bleeding out anytime soon.

"Three targets neutralized." Frank informed the others. "How are things outside?" Now that the shooting had stopped he hadn't heard anything from Cooper, Sarah or Marvin for several minutes and in this situation that was far too long.

"Everyone is out of my sight line. I haven't heard a word from them." Victoria confirmed.

Ivan looked expectantly at Frank, only able to hear half of the conversation.

"Sarah? Marvin? Cooper?" Frank waited for an answer from any of the three but after a short time it became clear he would receive none. "Victoria, I think we may have company." Frank edged up to one of the blown out windows and looked in Victoria's direction. "You can't see anything?"

"No. Nothing." Her voice had dropped to a whisper.

Frank scanned the treeline but saw nothing, not even Victoria but that was a good thing. It was probably why she was still talking to him.

"What is going on, Frank?" Ivan asked. The Russian had not stood back up after the fight attempting to ration his strength.

"We lost contact with Cooper, Sarah and Marvin during that fire fight. Last I heard two of these guys were heading towards Sarah and Cooper was running to cut them off. We had intel that your people were mobilizing a retrieval team. I think they may be here and either not know or care whose side we're on." Frank replied.

Ivan dropped his head into his hand and pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes. His head hurt and he was tired. If there was a Russian retrieval team on site things were about to get extremely complicated and he doubted if they would allow him to leave with his friends let alone the Director of the C.I.A. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Frank kneeling beside him.

"They have only gotten the people outside, aside from Victoria, but they are probably approaching as we speak." Frank offered Ivan his hand and helped him to his feet. "Let's head into this back room and see if we can figure out what's going on out there."

Ivan followed closely behind Frank, stepping over Rick's motionless form, as the two moved with practiced silence into the back bedroom. Of the two windows in the room, one was broken (Sarah's handiwork) and the other was opened wide having been used as an exit for the two men they had just shot. Ivan slipped across the room to the far window, the one that had been opened, and looked out into the yard. It was darker in the cabin than it was outside thanks to the moonlight. There was no one to be seen from where Ivan stood but there were very distinct marks in the grass that shone in the light of the moon. They showed where something, or more likely someone, had been dragged back towards what appeared to be a garage. He was about to tell Frank when he caught sight of something glinting in the trees. It was only for an instant and then it was gone.

"You see those drag marks?" Frank asked from where he stood by the other window.

"Da." Ivan acknowledged. "There is someone in the trees."

Frank came to stand next to the ambassador and cast an eye over the woods. "Victoria, be careful. I think they may be moving up the treeline towards you. Don't break cover unless you absolutely have to."

"Copy."

* * *

She was keeping her answers short and silent in case there was someone nearby. She slowly turned her infrared scope and focused it on the treeline east of the house. She saw them instantly. The red outlines of two bodies crouched together across from the cabin.

"Frank?" She whispered. "There are two men there preparing for what looks like a run on the cabin." She moved her scope again and scanned the trees to the west. "Two to the west as well."

The breaking of a branch alerted Victoria of someone approaching directly to her right.

"I have company." She whispered.

* * *

"Victoria confirmed we have two men approaching from the east and west and unknown number from the north." Frank pointed, north to orientate Ivan. "Our only possible exit is south."

Ivan glanced out the window, first at the trees and then at the moon. "There are clouds approaching. They wait for the cover and then come after us. We should do the same."

Frank looked up at the sky and nodded his consent to the plan.

"We follow the drag marks, find others, connect with Victoria." Ivan laid out their objectives clearly. He rose unsteadily to his feet, buttoning up his suit jacket and turning up the collar in an attempt to conceal his white dress shirt. "I may need more bullets."

Frank smirked. "We have thirty seconds. Meet by the door." He pointed to the kitchen door on the south side of the house.

Ivan was able to find a second hand gun and a spare clip for each in short order. As he was walking back to the kitchen he spotted the knife that he had used on Rick, picked up and tucked into his pocket.

"Ten seconds." Frank told him as he arrived at the door.

* * *

Victoria had remained unseen, the men stood mere meters from her. She could hear them speaking, clearly Russians, and watched as they inched closer and closer to the open. Victoria raised her eyes to the sky and watched as the large cloud slipped over the moon, plunging the world into darkness. She heard the men break cover beside her and saw the men on her scope do the same.

* * *

"They're coming."

Frank and Ivan were already out the door when Victoria's warning came through. Ivan's movements were unmistakably hampered by his injuries but he managed to keep pace with Frank none the less. Running as fast as they were they cleared the distance to the garage in under ten seconds and were soon hidden from sight by the building.

They watched from cover as flash lights turned on inside the building and waved around as the men began a thorough search of the cabin.

"Frank," Ivan directed the other man's attention to the grass in front of the small garage door. "Drag marks."

Frank cautiously stuck his head round the corner and peered into the door's window trusting Ivan to keep an eye on the activity in the cabin. "It's too dark to see." He told Ivan even as he tried the door knob. It turned freely in his hand and he pushed the door marginally open, slipping inside before closing it again soundlessly. Frank pulled a small pen light from his pocket and shone it into the space, taking care to keep it low. There in the centre of the space was the truck Ivan had been transported in and leaned up next to it were five people, trussed hand and foot, with gags in their mouths. Frank switched off the light and ran over to the group. From a sheath on his belt he pulled a small knife with a tiny light that illuminated the blade and began slicing through the bonds at Sarah's wrists and ankles. "Found them Victoria. Start heading for the chopper. We'll meet you there, shortly."

"Be careful." The woman cautioned.

"You too."

Frank allowed Sarah to remove her own gag while he turned his attention to Marvin's bonds and then Cooper's. "What happened?"

"We were just about to take out our guys when the Russians came out of nowhere, they used some kind of paralytic darts." Cooper answered rubbing at a sore spot on his neck. "Thankfully the effects only seem to last a few minutes. They already had Marvin. Did you get Simanov?"

"He's waiting outside. The Russians are in the cabin. We need to go. Now." Frank said forcefully. He helped Sarah to her feet and gave her a quick squeeze. "You had me worried."

"Sorry. Won't happen again." She smiled, rubbing her wrists in an attempt to regain circulation.

"That's what you said last time." Frank reminded her pointedly as they made their way to the door, ignoring the pleading gestures of the two men they were leaving behind.

Cooper opened the door and they exited single file, skirting around the corner quickly to remain out of sight of the cabin.

"Ambassador," Cooper greeted Ivan with a firm handshake. "I hear you had a bit of a rough day."

Ivan shrugged. "I've had worse."

* * *

The group snuck into the forest and almost set off a trip wire the moment they entered the cover of the trees. Marvin yanked Frank back without comment and guided the group to a safer path. After several minutes of navigating the near pitch black forest in a tense silence, Sarah felt the need to voice a nagging concern.

"So what are the odds they found the helicopter?" Sarah asked the question all the men hoped they would not have to answer.

"Then the Russians get us and we all disappear for good." Marvin, the eternal pessimist said.

Sarah looked to Ivan for reassurance but he could offer none.

"It very depends on who put together the team. Everyone has own plans and grudges." The Russian explained. His limping was becoming more and more pronounced. "They may not have even wanted to take me alive." He paused for a moment as a thought occurred to him. "However, it does bode well for us that they did not kill you all outright."

"Well that's one good thing." Sarah replied.

Frank caught sight of Cooper shaking his head in disbelief and laughed softly. "It is a good thing, honey. Very good."

Ivan wiped at the sweat that trickled down his forehead and into his eyes. He had past the point of exhaustion long ago and it was now taking all his focus to keep moving forward. They had begun descending a rather steep hill and Cooper informed them that the helicopter was now only minutes away. The trees had blurred together into one disorienting haze, forcing him to travel with his arms outstretch in order to avoid any painful run-ins with tree trunks, so he just focused on the back of the person in front of him.

"Victoria's at the chopper. Everything's good there." Sarah told Ivan, knowing he didn't have an earpiece.

Ivan nodded to show he had heard but couldn't muster the energy to respond any more than that. He pitched forward suddenly as a root snagged his foot causing him to stumble into the person in front of him. He felt several pairs of hands lift him back to his feet as his arms were pulled across people's shoulders.

"We're almost there, Ivan." Someone said. "Just hold on a little longer."

* * *

Victoria watched from her position next to the waiting helicopter for the arrival of her friends, blades running in preparation for a quick departure. Sarah appeared first, followed by Frank and Cooper, who supported Ivan between them. Marvin brought up the rear. It took all of Victoria's self-restraint to not sprint the thirty meters that separated them and embrace her fiancé. Truth be told she did start forward but a movement farther up the hill caught her attention.

"Behind you!" She called out the warning and watched as everyone's heads snapped round, and being unable to see the danger, began to run to the safety of the helicopter.

They had made it half the distance to the helicopter before the first of the Russians emerged from the trees in pursuit of them. Marvin reached for Frank's belt and grabbed two grenades. He stopped and turned to face the oncoming men. Pulling the pins simultaneous he waited a beat and then threw them just short of their trackers.

The resulting explosions sent showers of earth and smoke into the air, obscuring any shot their pursuers may have had and buying them enough time to reach the helicopter. Cooper hauled Ivan up into the chopper as the rest of the team clambered in. Mike took off, not waiting for seatbelts or other safety regulations to be met. It was well he did because one of the more ambitious Russians made a leap for the landing gear but his fingers barely brushed the metal before he fell to the ground, just shy of his goal. No shots were fired at the departing helicopter.

Victoria helped Ivan settle into a seat and fastened his belt for him. She put his headphones in place, not expecting him to be taking part in any conversation, but more to protect his obviously aching head from the furious beating of the propellers. He leaned back in his seat his eyes closed. His face, covered in a sheen of sweat and blood, was adorned with cuts and bruises. His shirt front was torn and covered in blood. Victoria reached out to cup his cheek and was startled as he caught her hand in his own, pressing his lips against her palm in a tender kiss.

"I am sorry I missed our dinner engagement. I was unavoidably detained." His voice was strong but the words were spoken softly. Even half-conscious he was a consummate gentleman.

"I think you may have a valid excuse this time." Victoria said, clasping his hand between both of hers as they lowered them to her lap. "I told you I'd come looking for you."

"Awww."

The odd noise succeeded in getting Ivan to open his eyes. It had emanated from the occupant of the seat across from them.

"You two are so sweet." Sarah gushed, reminding them they were far from alone.

"Okay, honey." Frank wrapped his arm around the woman in an attempt to redirect her attention.

"I hope we will be as in love as them one day." Sarah told him as she grasped his shirtfront.

Frank actually looked a little hurt at her words. "What do you mean 'one day'?"

Sarah realized her mistake and began back tracking. "Oh no, that's not what I meant. I just meant… I just…"

"Good grief." Marvin groaned. "What is this? The Love Boat?"

Director Cooper then did something so out of character that Mike nearly put the helicopter into a tailspin. He laughed. He laughed long and hard and when he was finished he was greeted by the shocked faces of his associates. Cooper shrugged it off. "What? He's pretty funny."


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of any of the characters from the R.E.D. or its sequel.

Two hours and ten minutes later the helicopter was taking off in the air again having dropped off all its passengers, with the exception of Director Cooper, at the Eagle's Nest.

Marvin and Frank helped Victoria get Ivan up the stairs, the day's events having fully caught up with him now that the adrenalin had run its course, before saying their goodbyes.

"Thank you, my friends." Ivan said from where he lay back against a plush pile of pillows on crisp white linen of Victoria's king size bed. "I do not like to think about what would have happened had those men been allowed to follow through with their plans." Victoria squeezed his hand in a silent sign of comfort.

"Anytime, Ivan." Frank said. "But let's not make a habit of this." He joked.

"I hope you feel better soon." Sarah said, leaning down to give the man a gentle hug and kiss.

"Thanks for a fun outing." Marvin said in all seriousness.

* * *

Victoria had offered their friends rooms for the night but they politely declined. She watched them drive off before locking up and going to tend to Ivan. As she entered the room she saw that he had, unsurprisingly, fallen asleep in her absence. Deciding to let him rest for a few minutes before disturbing him, Victoria walked down the hall to the small seating area at the landing to make a slightly overdue phone call.

"Hello? Is that you Victoria?" Yana answered mid-first ring despite the late hour.

Victoria allowed herself a small laugh, the tension of the last few hours melting away. "We have him. He's safe."

"I am so happy." Yana pronounced. "The retrieval team recovered the stolen information and captured the men who took the Ambassador but when they said they didn't have him I prayed it was because you got him first."

Victoria smiled. "We did." Victoria choose to not tell Yana how much more complicated the team had made their mission. It was something Ivan would have to deal with on his return to D.C., if not sooner, and Yana would find out all about it then. "Thank you again for all your help, dear. Ivan will be staying with me for a while so he can recuperate. I am unsure of how long yet but I will let you know when I do." It was wishful thinking on Victoria's part. The events of the past day would more than likely require Ivan's presence at the Embassy in merely a few hours but she did not want to think on that at the moment.

"Let him know how thankful I am to hear he is safe, please." Yana asked Victoria. "And I look forward to seeing him again when he is better."

"He will be happy to hear that. Good night, Yana."

"Good night."

* * *

Victoria snuck through her bedroom to the master bath, her footfalls absorbed by the plush carpeting, and took a few minutes to shower. All traces of the night's clandestine activities were soon washed away in a swirl of hot water, soap and steam. When she had finished she pulled on a clean white robe and towel dried her hair, not bothering to brush it. She then gathered a wash cloth, towel, a bowl of warm water and her emergency medical kit, carrying them back to the bedroom with her. She placed the collected items on the nightstand next to the still slumbering Russian and pulled a chair from the corner of the room to the bedside. Perching on the edge of the chair she folded the white wash cloth into a square, gingerly dipping a corner into the warm water, and reached out towards his face.

"Oh Ivan." She breathed, pausing just short of touching his face, she pulled her hand back and took a moment to study the face of the man she loved so dearly.

Despite the marks so clear on his face he looked at peace and she was hesitant to disturb him. Placing the cloth back on the nightstand Victoria turned her attention to making Ivan more comfortable assuming he would be more likely to sleep through the removal of his shoes and belt than the scrubbing of dried blood from his face. She stood and pushed back the chair so she could reach his feet and waist more easily. She loosened the laces on his shoes and then gently slipped them from his feet, keeping an eye on his face to ensure the movement was not waking him. Both shoes were removed without event and she moved to place them on the floor near the bedroom door when she felt the deep cuts and scuffs that marked the dark leather. Realizing they were beyond saving she placed them in the waste bin instead.

As she turned around the bin tipped under the unbalanced weight of the shoes and fell onto the cast-iron rabbit that served as her door stop. The resulting noise reverberated through the quiet room and Ivan groaned.

"I liked those shoes."

Victoria turned and gave him a small smile. "I am sorry, love, but they were beyond saving." She resumed her perch on the seat next to the bed. "Fortunately the same cannot be said about you."

Ivan gazed at her through half-lidded eyes. "You bought me those shoes."

She picked up the wash cloth and dipped an edge into the still warm water before softly dabbing his face with it. "And I will buy you a new pair since you have obviously ruined those ones."

Ivan lay still as she cleaned his face and neck, taking extra care around the stitches and bruising on the right side of his face. "Have I walked my last runway?"

The comment was so outrageous Victoria laughed aloud until the cloth caught on a stitch and Ivan winched. "Oh, I'm sorry!"

"It's fine. My fault, I should know better than to make a sniper laugh while she's working."

"You are lucky. Whoever did these did a good job, the scaring should be minimal." She dropped the cloth into the now pink water in the bowl. "There. All finished. Let's get those clothes off so you can sleep more comfortably." She stood and motioned for him sit up.

Ivan did as he was told, stifling a grunt as stiff, swollen muscles protested the movement. Victoria slid the jacket from his shoulders and gasped at the amount of blood that had soaked through his shirt.

"Are you still bleeding?" She asked, tossing the jacket aside, freeing up her hands to unbutton his shirt. She pulled the once white shirt off of him and repeated the process with his undershirt. "Are you shot?"

"No. I believe that happened during the accident. I must have torn stitches running." Ivan answered. He glanced down at the bloody mess on his side. "May I lay back down now?"

"Wait just one minute." Victoria instructed as she grabbed the bowl of water and ran to the bathroom to refresh it. "I just want to rinse off your back, it will feel good I promise."

Ivan sat patiently as she ran a wash cloth over the sore muscles of his back. It felt far better than he had believed possible. She lay a towel down to protect her duvet and then eased him back on the bed. "Do you have any pain killers?" He inquired.

"Oh stupid me, I should have given you something ages ago." Victoria opened her medical kit and looked at the different labels on the various bottles. "Oh, this is a good one." She said tapping the bottle on the lid before hesitating. "But I wonder if with your concussion-"

"Give to me." Ivan interrupted, holding out his hand.

"Alright then." Victoria handed him two pills and then glass of water she'd left on the nightstand the previous evening.

He swallowed them and sighed, letting his eyes close. "Spasibo, zaychik moy. It's been a long, long day." He opened them again and looked into Victoria's eyes. "This is where I had hoped it would end though."

"You're incorrigible." Victoria leaned in and kissed him lightly. "Now lay still and let me take care of this side of yours."

* * *

Victoria cleaned the blood from his side revealing that Ivan had indeed torn multiple stiches, in fact thirteen of the twenty-eight had been pulled free. 'Most likely when the Frank and Cooper had thrown Ivan's arms across their shoulders... or when he was diving for cover from gunfire.' She supposed. Ivan's breathing had fallen into the slow, rhythmic patterns of one in a deep sleep as she'd cleaned the wound. Victoria knew those pills would assure he'd stay that way for hours to come so she continue her ministrations unabashedly. She plucked an aerosol bottle from her med kit and sprayed a freezing agent on the wound and surrounding area. She fished out a needle and sutures and began the slow task of closing the wound. When she had finished she wiped the last bit of blood from his side and applied a large transparent film dressing to it.

She closed up her medical kit and took the water and wash cloth back to the bathroom and poured the water down the sink. Victoria washed the blood from her hands and exited the bathroom, leaving the light on and closing the door almost all the way. She crossed to the end of the bed and opened the padded fabric bench that stood there to retrieve a light blanket. She draped it over her slumbering fiancé, grateful for the fact he seemed to resting peacefully, and laid a loving kiss on his forehead. The following day would be a difficult one for him. There would be debriefings with nosy little men from various departments who would demand answers about the incident in an interrogatory fashion. Loyalties would, as always, be called into question. Ivan had spent his entire life serving his country but it was never enough for them. It was one of many things Victoria hadn't missed she'd retired. Putting your life on the line for king and country only to have snivelling little desk jockeys come in with their superior attitudes and rake you over the coals for events that were beyond your control. She much preferred her life as an independent contractor with the freedom to choose her jobs and, more importantly, clients. Once again she thought about asking him to consider retirement but knew, deep down, he wasn't ready. She dreamed of a time where they could travel the world together, taking contracts here and there, making their own schedules and answering to no one but themselves. 'One day.' She wistfully ran a finger lightly over his lips before kissing them, eliciting a moan of pleasure from him even in the depths of sleep.

Turning out the lights Victoria crossed to the other side of the room and, slipping off her robe, crawled under the covers. She gingerly sidled up to Ivan and laid her head down next to his. She wrapped her arms around his, took his hand in her own, interlaced their fingers and drifted off to sleep. The sun would be up within the hour. They would not be.


End file.
